Google Adds Real-Time Twitter Archive Search

Google on Wednesday introduced a new "replay" search feature that will let you search tweets from a specific time period.

Twitter's search function provides a wealth of information about what's happening right this second, but what if you want to know what people were saying about a particular topic two months ago? Google on Wednesday introduced a new "replay" search feature that will let you search tweets from a specific time period.

"Tweets and other short-form updates create a history of commentary that can provide valuable insights into what's happened and how people have reacted," Dylan Casey, product manager for Google real-time search, wrote in a blog post. "We want to give you a way to search across this information and make it useful."

To access the feature, click the "Show options" link after conducting a Google search, then click "Updates." This page will display recent tweets about the topic you have searched, but now there will be a small, customizable chart atop the results.

With this chart, you can drill down and search by month, day, or hour. For now, the service only goes back to Feb. 11, 2010, but eventually, the archive will allow users to search results going back to the first tweet on March 21, 2006, Casey said.

"By replaying tweets, you can explore any topic that people have discussed on Twitter," Casey wrote. "Want to know how the news broke about health care legislation in Congress, what people were saying about Justice Paul Stevens' retirement or what people were tweeting during your own marathon run? These are the kinds of things you can explore with the new updates mode."

The feature will roll out to all users in English in the next few days. For those who can't wait, Google has provided a sneak peek on its site.

Chloe Albanesius has been with PCMag.com since April 2007, most recently as Executive Editor for News and Features. Prior to that, she worked for a year covering financial IT on Wall Street for Incisive Media. From 2002 to 2005, Chloe covered technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from American University...
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